I read this today. I must say I am dissapointed, but what can you do? I threw out my old obsolete leather balls and bought a new MicroFiber one today. I would have purchased two, but at $100 a pop, I'm going to have to wait a little while to get the other one.

I've heard the pros complain about it, but it's mostly been Shaq, so you know.

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I feel like it is really affecting my free throw %.

Actually, I was just joking about buying it. 100 bucks is just too much $$ for someone of my skills to spend on a basketball! I did go check it out though. Too me, it feels alot like a rubber one that you use at the outdoor court.

Stern's in kahoots with Spaulding to sell $100 basketballs to kids wanting 'to play like the pros'. And how much you wanna bet the new ball is cheaper to produce than the leather one?

There is no doubt in my mind that the new ball is inferior to leather when played on the hardwood...no scientific proof...just a gut feeling. The composite ball probably holds up better on outdoor courts...but again...that's just a guess. The one thing I DO know...is that I won't be shelling out that kinda money for a basketball for my kids.

Stern's in kahoots with Spaulding to sell $100 basketballs to kids wanting 'to play like the pros'. And how much you wanna bet the new ball is cheaper to produce than the leather one?

There is no doubt in my mind that the new ball is inferior to leather when played on the hardwood...no scientific proof...just a gut feeling. The composite ball probably holds up better on outdoor courts...but again...that's just a guess.

As luck would have it, I played with one of the new balls at the gym today. I don't pretend to have the same silky touch as Shaq, but the ball seemed fine to me. It doesn't feel anything like a rubber ball.

It is a little stickier and easier to palm, and I think that it banks a little more off the board... i.e. it is harder to glance it off the board at a shallow angle. I don't know about the $100, but I'd buy one for $50.

As luck would have it, I played with one of the new balls at the gym today. I don't pretend to have the same silky touch as Shaq, but the ball seemed fine to me. It doesn't feel anything like a rubber ball.

It is a little stickier and easier to palm, and I think that it banks a little more off the board... i.e. it is harder to glance it off the board at a shallow angle. I don't know about the $100, but I'd buy one for $50.

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I didn't get to actually use it. The teenage salesman at the local sporting goods store said they weren't allowed to put them out until the season starts, but we were talking about it and the place was empty, so he let me check it out. It didn't feel like leather to me. I thought it was very simmilar in feel to the indoor/outdoor spalding they had there.

Mark Cuban's an ass in many ways, but I share his skepticism about the change...good thing he has the resources to get the real 'dirt' scientifically on the new ball.

What I found of note in that report:

1) "However, with a few drops of added moisture on the surface of each type of ball, the new synthetic balls have a coefficient of friction which is at least 30% smaller than similarly moistened leather balls. We have also measured the moisture absorption rate, which confirms that the synthetic ball absorbs moisture at a much slower rate, leaving more of the moisture on the surface. Therefore, when wet, the synthethic balls are much harder to grip and handle (slippery). By contrast, our measurements indicate that the grip of the leather ball improves after similar moistening."

30% is a HUGE difference. That leaves two options for game officials:

a) either force them to play one slippery ball for the entire game and force
players to adapt to the slippery ball--and it makes me wonder if the game
should begin with a pre-moistened ball to give it more of a consistent feel
from the beginning of the game until the end.

b) or cause them to change balls after every couple whistles.
If they do this, seems to me that going back & forth from a wet ball to a
dry one would be cause for inconsistencies in play...ESPECIALLY for a hot
shooter (I wonder if Kobe could have gotten 81 with the new ball)

I haven't paid attention to the pre-season games much--have officials been using one ball for the entire game or have they swapped them out for dry ones?

2) "Preliminary measurements suggest about 30% greater deviation in the position of the synthetic ball after a bounce."

That difference is huge also...maybe not so much so for up-down dribbling, but for 'english' type passes (recalling Ginobli's spinner to Horry in game 5). Does the new ball have more of a 'superball' type reaction (erratic) after contacting the floor when passed with heavy rotation?

I played again today with the new ball and tried wetting it. It gets slippery. I don't ever recall that much moisture being put on a ball through actual indoor play though. Maybe it happens in the NBA with some of those big sweaty dudes.

But when it is dry, I think that it is less slippery. I don't really notice the variance in the way it bounces.